On the other hand, I always worry about guys with these sweet HF mobile installations fiddling around with them while driving. There is a lot more fiddilng required with them than with VHF/UHF...

If its done right, very little. For example with my Icom 7000 install I changed band, hit the tune button and let the screwdriver antenna controller sort the rest out. I either used scan or manually tuned and the radio beeped once I'd hit the band edge.

Yep. You reach a point where you're familiar enough with the radio you can just about work it by feel. Once it's set up for a particular band and mode you usually don't work much more than the VFO. My biggest distraction running HF mobile is logging during contests. Need to get the XYL to learn CW and log for me, HI.

Another "me, too" for working mostly by feel in the car. I use single-band antennas (though I can switch between two of them on different mounts), no tuning required. I have memories in my 706 set for convenience; I leave the driveway, turn on the radio, and flip the memory dial to a good point for whatever band I'm using. That's often 21.205 in the afternoons. I can drive along, slowly turning the tuning knob, moving up in frequency and listening for contacts. If I've been doing it for a while, I glance down at the front panel. If I've gone higher in the band than I want to, I turn the memory knob up and back down; puts me back on 21205 to begin another scan. It takes very little attention away from my driving.

I've tried CW in the car and it was lots of fun ... but I'm in a good bit of traffic most of the time, and I'm just not comfortable with it. One of these days I'll put the sideswiper back in the car for a long trip on uncrowded highways.

I have several antennas on my f 150 (1994) and 5 radios in the cab. I use an ft 857 and for driving a ATAS 120 so I can also just push the button to tune and change freqs ny ear. I also have a DK-3 screwdriver for use on 80 160.

the way i was taught to drive was by my mother and she had me sit in the car and memorize the locations of all the buttons and knobs until i could hit all of them with my eyes closed, i did that when i bought my truck and put my radios in.

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